


throned in flowers

by witchcrafted



Series: Women Loving Women in Thedas [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Gift Giving, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 01:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6684391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchcrafted/pseuds/witchcrafted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassandra Pentaghast receives an unexpected but much appreciated gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	throned in flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sweettasteofbitter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweettasteofbitter/gifts).



> I couldn't stop thinking about Cassandra receiving flowers from a Female Inquisitor. That, plus my brief conversation with T about their lovely OC Mercia Adaar who romanced Cassandra and the concept of her giving flowers to Cass, meant I really had to write something.
> 
> T is a really talented writer and artist and I would like to thank them for their feedback on this fic!
> 
> Title from Sappho's "Ode/Hymn To Aphrodite".

“I thought I might find you here.”

Cassandra looked up from the book she was reading. Inquisitor Adaar was standing in the doorway of the library—it was a small room in a corner of Skyhold that not many knew of, and Cassandra occasionally spent time there reading.

She was sitting at the only desk in the room, almost directly opposite from the entrance. Bookshelves were standing in neat rows on either side of her, heavy with books and scrolls. A window that looked more like an arrow slit was in the wall behind her, allowing in only a meager amount of light.

The Seeker thought to stand up, ask if something required her attention, but nothing was amiss. She knew it from Adaar’s stare; it was always warm, but seemed especially so today. If it were otherwise she might have been worried.

The Herald drew closer with measured strides, the door left ajar. Adaar was wearing a simple tunic over a pair of breeches, her long braid slung of over a shoulder. She kept her marked hand folded behind her back and Cassandra briefly wondered if it pained her.

“What are you reading?” Adaar asked out of good-natured curiosity, leaning on a bookshelf as tall as she was. Like others of her kind, the Inquisitor stood tall and towered over many.

Maker, Cassandra had been dreading that question, but she should have seen it coming. If truth be told, she had been reading poetry. But that would be an embarrassing thing to admit, especially to Adaar. The last time the Herald had found her in this library Cassandra had been reading a boring treatise on… something. She could not for the life of her remember what.

She snapped the leather-bound book shut and cursed herself internally for not marking the page she was on before this interruption.

“It is all right, you don’t have to answer.” The Inquisitor said gently. She must have noticed her disagreeable expression and chose to leave that subject alone.

But it was only poetry. Why should she be ashamed? Even… Even if this collection of poems seemed to have been written by a woman longing for another woman’s love. Would Adaar be shocked to hear she had been reading such things? She did not think so.

“Poetry—I’m reading poetry,” Cassandra finally admitted in a somewhat defeated tone. It felt like giving in. _Or letting go_ , a voice in her mind supplied.

Adaar’s eyes seemed to light up. “What is it about?” she asked excitedly, but almost immediately waved a dismissive hand, seemingly setting that thought aside. “That is not what I’m here for,” she said as though to herself.

Her cheeks were a shade darker than the rest of her face, but perhaps it was only a trick of the light. “These are for you,” she said, unfolding her arm from behind her back and holding out a bouquet of yellow daffodils.

Cassandra was… dumbfounded. No one had offered her flowers before. Who would want to offer flowers to a warrior, a Seeker of Truth? No one had ever though she could care for such… _soft_ things like flowers and poetry and… certain literary genres. Or perhaps no one had ever given her flowers because they knew of her hay fever.

“I promise you, they will not worsen your hay fever,” Adaar said gently as if she knew what Cassandra was thinking. She leaned over the cluttered desk, extending the arm holding the bouquet.

Once again Cassandra was at a loss for words. Not only was she being given flowers, but the Herald had taken care to give her flowers that would not worsen her allergy. But how did she know? She must have mentioned it in passing at some point but this meant Adaar had _listened_. And she did not strike her a person who would make hasty assumptions about Cassandra’s likes and dislikes.

Cassandra reached out for the bouquet and her fingers brushed against Adaar’s momentarily. She noticed the stalks of the daffodils had been neatly trimmed and the bouquet was tied with a pink ribbon.

“I- I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” She said as earnestly as she could and hoped it conveyed her gratitude. Cassandra had never had a particular talent when it came to words.

“There is no need to thank me, Cassandra,” she said softly, smiling. “I have some matters to attend to, but I should have plenty of free time later and could give you some poetry suggestions if you’d like.” All the while she was fiddling with the end of her sleeve in an agitated manner, but then looked at Cassandra almost expectantly.

“That won’t be necessary,” Cassandra replied curtly—a little too curtly if she were any judge—but Adaar only nodded, appearing undeterred.

“As you wish. If you change your mind, however, I believe you know where to find me.” With a smile, Adaar turned on her heel and walked out of the small library, closing the door behind her.

Cassandra knew where to find her, just as she knew she would change her mind.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't played "Dragon Age: Inquisition" yet, but I hope I did Cassandra justice. She is one of my favourite Dragon Age characters.
> 
> I would like to thank T for giving me permission to use their OC Mercia Adaar for this fic. If you would like to find out more about Mercia, you can do so [here](http://sweettasteofbitter.tumblr.com/inquisitors) and [here](http://sweettasteofbitter.tumblr.com/tagged/oc:%20mercia%20adaar).
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
